Total births
4,199,696
Boys' name · since 1880
William
4,199,696 babies named William in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10
- among boys today
- 4,199,696
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other boys
William currently ranks #10 among boys' names in America, with 4,199,696 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show William recorded 4,199,696 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #10 nationally today, ahead of 99.9% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #10 among boys today
- 4,199,696 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
William is currently the #10 boys' name in America, more common than 99.9% of boys - 4,199,696 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #10
- among boys today
- 4,199,696
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other boys
William vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#10
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named William was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
67,002 babies were named William in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How William compares
4,199,696 Top 0% higher than 100% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
William's all-time total is 11,443x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | William | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,199,696 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 67,002 | 23 | 22,252 |
William's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
William splits its recorded history at 1953: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1901 (5,990 births) -- compare that against the 1947 peak of 67,002 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
William at a glance
Top 10 boys' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#10
Active since
1880
William popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 67,002
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
William popularity over time - girls
16,029 total births recorded since 1880 (William as girls' name)
William by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was William's strongest decade.
591,228 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
William births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 84,881
1880s
84,881 births
- 1890s 72,244
1890s
72,244 births
- 1900s 69,320
1900s
69,320 births
- 1910s
1910s
303,017 births
- 1920s
1920s
512,402 births
- 1930s
1930s
416,730 births
- 1940s
1940s
556,478 births
- 1950s
1950s
591,228 births
- 1960s
1960s
421,433 births
- 1970s
1970s
283,401 births
- 1980s
1980s
248,277 births
- 1990s 217,822
1990s
217,822 births
- 2000s 194,415
2000s
194,415 births
- 2010s 159,981
2010s
159,981 births
- 2020s 68,067
2020s
68,067 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 591,228 births (14% of all-time use).
How William compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to William's total volume
William vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
William by state
Where William concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 325,455 | 7.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 303,784 | 7.2% |
| #3 | California | | 221,142 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 206,405 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 201,081 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Texas | | 185,794 | 4.4% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 161,929 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 143,624 | 3.4% |
New York share of William's total US births 7.7%
Even split
325,455 of 4,199,696 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
William appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name William? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 4,199,696 babies named William. Today it holds rank #10 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 67,002 births.
When was William most popular? ▼
William was most popular in the 1950s decade with 591,228 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is William most popular? ▼
The top states for the name William are New York (325,455 births), Pennsylvania (303,784 births), California (221,142 births).
How long has the name William been used? ▼
William has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to William? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Willie, Willard, Wilbur, Willis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with William's data
- William's decade-level peak was the 1950s (591,228 total births); usage has since declined to 68,067 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Williams (325,455 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring William
Nearby Names Like William
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to William
Willie Boy
#1364 450,188 births
Willard Boy
#2958 77,658 births
Wilbur Boy
#2959 56,906 births
Willis Boy
#2638 52,336 births
Wilson Boy
#644 48,807 births
Compare William side by side: William vs Willie William vs Willard William vs Wilbur
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to William
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "William: #10 Boys' Name - 4,199,696 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/william. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for William draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.